The Little Book of Dragons

 The Little Book of Dragons

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       January 25, 2026

 

Author  Carolyne Larrington

Distributor:      New South Books
ISBN:                 9780712355582
Publisher:         British Library Publishing
Release Date:   1 January 2026  

Website:    https://newsouthbooks.com.au/books/the-little-book-of-dragons-1/ 

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What an absolute delight The Little Book of Dragons and is an absolute delight for all those older children and adults who have always had a soft spot for a good dragon story. Carolyne Larrington is an Emeritus Professor of Medieval European Literature at the University of Oxford. She is very well read and researched on this topic and has divided her information into chapters such as “Dragons of the Ancient World, Water Dragons and Dragons from around the world.”

In the introduction, the author describes the dragon as a “Fearsome monster.” Some dragons have fire, some spit poison or crush beasts in their coils. Dragons are well armoured, and any hero must find their weak spot. Some dragons guard gold; some are wise and some just a nuisance.

Dragons are reptilian in body, often very large and may have wings. The winged variety usually spit fire. Some dragons creep across the countryside and may be called “Worms or “Lindworms.”  There may also be dragons in rivers and oceans where they threaten ships. They may have multiple heads such as the seven headed dragon in the Book of Revelations and sometimes may have horns. Some dragons may be humans who have been enchanted.

No one can be sure where the amazing number of dragon tales from around the world originated. They have no relevance to dinosaurs who were of a much earlier time. In Northern Europe the dragon moved from a symbol of evil to a symbol of the devil. In East Asia, dragons are viewed as wise and kindly creatures bringing fertility to the land and having power over water.

There are more stories about dragons in Britain and female saints and dragons. So many fascinating stories and tales are presented here. The addition to the text is a set of marvellous reproductions of ancient manuscripts showing dragons in various forms. There is an ancient artwork showing a dragon head on a Viking boat, and King Vortigen confronting the red and white dragons. This is such a special and captivating book!

History, Literature, Non Fiction